1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to the field of support members. In particular, the present invention relates to support pedestals that are particularly adapted for supporting a structure, such as a walking surface, above a fixed surface.
2. Description of Related Art
One method for supporting building surfaces, such as decks or terraces, is to support the members making up the building surface, such as pavers, panels or timber, with support pedestals. For example, in outdoor applications, the building surface may be elevated above a fixed surface by the pedestals to promote drainage, provide a level structural surface for walking, and/or prevent deterioration of or damage to the surface members.
One example of such a support pedestal is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,588,264 by Buzon, which incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. The pedestal disclosed by Buzon can be used in outdoor or indoor environments and is capable of supporting heavy loads applied by many types of building surfaces. The pedestal includes rotatably engageable threaded members to enable the height of the pedestal support to be adjusted. The support pedestal assembly can also include a coupler member for extending the height of the pedestal, if necessary.
One problem is that many projects using support pedestals require the use of pedestals of varying heights to accommodate variations in the fixed surface upon which the pedestals are placed, or to create architectural features in the building surface. However, most pedestals have a relatively narrow range of heights that are obtainable. This may require a builder to purchase many different sized pedestals and therefore require the builder to determine how many of each height pedestal to acquire. Extensions such as that disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,588,264 can be used to increase the height of the pedestal, however such extensions leave a gap in the obtainable pedestal height, which can again require a builder to acquire many different sized pedestals.
Further, another problem that is encountered is that each threaded pedestal member must be rotatably engaged with its mating member to a depth that is sufficient to maintain the structural integrity of the pedestal. That is, when increasing the height of the pedestal by rotating to pedestal members in relation to each other, the threads cannot be disengaged to the extent that the two members are not sufficiently rigidly connected to maintain the desired pedestal strength.